The cultivators stood on the ramparts of the camp, gazing into the distance.
They immediately saw several enormous tower ships striding across the sky.
Vast blood energy rose from the tower ships, blocking out the sun and sky, as if it were about to cover the entire world in a blood-red hue.
The tower ships were similar to the Ironclad Cloud Boats, but their design was far more rugged and violent.
It seemed as if countless huge pieces of timber had been forcibly gathered together.
However, their size was clearly much larger than that of the Ironclad Cloud Boats.
The cultivators were all so shocked by this sight that they were speechless.
Wasn't the Ironclad Cloud Boat considered a precious treasure of the imperial court?
It was extremely difficult for various factions to study and attempt to replicate an Ironclad Cloud Boat, even in secret.
At most, they could only produce inferior imitations.
Why then could the Demon Realm create even more massive tower ships?
Did the Demon Realm actually have such skilled craftsmen?!
Tong Yuan gazed at the terrifying tower ships and murmured, "It must be... the Demon Emperor."
Wan Muchun sighed softly, "Indeed, the only wise one in the Demon Realm is probably the Demon Emperor Gu Ming."
"No wonder they targeted the Ironclad Cloud Boats first; it turns out they had the idea of dragging one away to study it themselves."
Murong Yue spoke in a deep voice, "We don't know how these tower ships compare to the Ironclad Cloud Boats; perhaps they are just empty shells."
"If that's truly the case, with the capabilities of our camp, it wouldn't be difficult to withstand these tower ships."
All the cultivators nodded in agreement.
There was no need to be overly fearful of the demons because of this.
After all, this was just a vanguard force.
Shen Mo strode out of the tent and declared loudly, "Prepare to activate the formation and face the enemy!"
"Yes!"
The cultivators quickly took their positions.
The formation required top-grade spirit stones to maintain its energy.
Once the energy of the top-grade spirit stones was exhausted, they had to be replaced immediately.
Moreover, the formation flags in various places might also be damaged, which required the cultivators to maintain them.
The formation was just an inanimate object; it couldn't function without the cultivators.
Soon, each cultivator was in their proper place.
They were just waiting for Shen Mo's command to activate the defensive formation that protected the camp.
This formation was generously contributed by the Tianhe Sect and was of the highest grade, reaching the level of an earth-class superior formation.
It was already considered a rare defensive formation.
It could withstand three rounds of simultaneous firing from six Ironclad Cloud Boats!
Therefore, the cultivators were almost all full of confidence.
At that moment, a calm voice came from the foremost tower ship.
"Shen Mo, I have arrived!"
"For a genius of your caliber, I have always been willing to give several chances. Now, I will give you another opportunity."
"If you submit willingly, I will grant you the position of Crown Prince. Once I have pacified the eight desolates and four seas, you will be the king of humans!"
"Leave the camp now, and I will personally destroy it. I only want you; the lives of the others are as worthless as pigs and dogs."
This voice was not loud, but it quickly spread with the wind.
It reached the ears of everyone present.
The cultivators first showed disdain, then their expressions turned to astonishment.
Me, the emperor?
Who in the Demon Realm dared to call themselves "me, the emperor"?
For a moment, those cultivators who realized their situation immediately turned pale.
The Demon Emperor, Gu Ming!
He had come in person!
This was clearly not a vanguard force.
It was the Dragon Blood Guard protecting the Demon Emperor!
Thinking of Gu Ming's formidable reputation and the fact that he had arrived in person, the cultivators couldn't help but feel intimidated.
Their hands trembled, their legs shook.
They could hardly hold their weapons steady.
More cultivators instinctively looked towards Shen Mo.
Their gazes were complicated.
Gu Ming wanted only Shen Mo.
The lives of the others were as worthless as pigs and dogs in his eyes.
If Shen Mo were to step out now, he would surely be fine.
But they are all likely to die.
How would Shen Mo choose?
Abandon them?
Whoosh.
Shen Mo stamped his foot hard and suddenly rose from the ground, hovering in mid-air.
"Human and demon races can never coexist, Gu Ming. You needn't use such words to disrupt the morale of our human forces."
He spoke indifferently.
"Hahaha! Good, you are truly Shen Mo!"
Gu Ming's voice came with the gale.
"Then let me put it another way."
Gu Ming said indifferently, "Human cultivators in the camp, listen carefully!"
"Whoever can capture Shen Mo alive will be granted the title of King of Humans and will be rewarded with ten drops of my royal blood!"
"Whoever can slay Shen Mo will be granted the title of King of Mist Province and will be rewarded with three drops of my royal blood!"
"My promise stands forever!"
After these words, the cultivators who had close relationships with Shen Mo immediately changed their expressions.
They moved towards Shen Mo in the first place.
After all, Gu Ming's promise was too substantial.
Probably few people could resist such temptation.
Before today, no one had anticipated that Gu Ming was actually in this so-called vanguard force.
The pressure Gu Ming exerted was immense.
So immense that as long as they could survive, they would do anything.
However, those who remained now were almost all cultivators who wished to contribute to the human race.
Even those who felt fear had already fled under the cover of darkness some time ago.
Therefore, even after Gu Ming finished speaking, no one made any moves.
"Humans are indeed somewhat interesting," came Gu Ming's indifferent voice from the tower ship.
The next moment, a figure clad in thick golden armor gracefully floated out.
He was about ten feet tall, with his whole body wrapped in armor, except for a pair of blood-red eyes that were exposed.
Gu Ming smiled and said, "Shen Mo, you are the most astonishing genius I have ever seen in my life."
"I have wished countless times for you to become my royal son. What a pity."
Shen Mo's expression remained indifferent, "I don't have the habit of recognizing a demon as my father."
Gu Ming laughed heartily, "That's too bad. Do you know that after Ye Yan accepted my royal blood, his cultivation soared and has now reached the rank of Golden Summit Monarch!"
Shen Mo's expression still remained indifferent, "He is just a shameless person. There is nothing more to say about him."
Gu Ming's laughter gradually subsided, "Do you know why the main force hasn't arrived, but I have come in person?"
Shen Mo, "You want to kill me with your own hands."
"Kill me, and there will be no obstacles in sweeping through Jing Country from then on."
Gu Ming smiled, "You are right."
"Let's begin, the ultimate battle between you and me."
On the tower ship, the leader of the Dragon Blood Guards roared, "Fire!"
The tip of the tower ship immediately began to frantically accumulate energy.
Inside the camp, Tong Yuan shouted, "Activate the formation! Face the enemy!"
Boom!
Three huge beams of light struck the surface of the defensive formation straight on.
They produced an earth-shattering roar and a blinding brightness.
Amidst this roar and brightness, Gu Ming moved.
His figure was like a golden flash of lightning, shooting towards Shen Mo.
The blood energy around him surged frantically.
In a moment, it condensed into a blood-red, emaciated giant hand.
This hand was a hundred feet in size.
It seemed as if it could burst the sky with its bare hand.
The next moment, the giant hand grabbed towards Shen Mo tightly!
Before the blood-red giant hand fell, the air around Shen Mo made a creaking sound as if it couldn't bear the weight.
Shen Mo roared, and it seemed as if tens of millions of giant elephants roared inside his body.
The strength of two thousand giant elephants surged out suddenly.
A shadow of a thunder elephant, which seemed to be able to suppress countless gods and demons, condensed around him.
The blood-red giant hand fell fiercely, but not only did it fail to crush Shen Mo.
Instead, it was shattered on the spot by the thunder elephant.
A large amount of blood energy disintegrated instantly and dissipated into the universe!
====================================================================================
Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44